What is the Difference Between PFO and PDA

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defects. They involve blood vessels and walls of the heart. PFO and PDA are defects occurring in the circulatory system after birth. Children are predominantly affected by these conditions. Moreover, these conditions are serious and should be treated through respective surgeries.

The key difference between PFO and PDA is their cause. PFO (patent foramen ovale) is a condition due to an opening between the upper heart chambers, while PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) is a condition due to an opening between the two major blood vessels leading from the heart. 

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is PFO
3. What is PDA
4. Similarities – PFO and PDA
5. PFO vs PDA in Tabular Form
6. Summary – PFO vs PDA
7. FAQ – PFO and PDA

What PFO?

PFO is a condition that occurs due to the failure of closure of the atrial wall in the heart. Symptoms of this condition include one-sided weakness, sudden inability to speak, loss of limb coordination, swallowing difficulties, brief unconsciousness, sudden vision loss, cyanosis, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, and failure to thrive. The exact cause remains unclear, but genetics, Down syndrome, and viral infections may contribute.

PFO can be diagnosed through physical examination, transthoracic echocardiogram, and transesophageal echocardiogram. Furthermore, treatment options for PFO may include medicines (blood thinners), catheter procedures, and surgery to close the hole.

What is PDA?

PDA is a condition that is due to the failure of the closure of a hole in the blood vessels in the heart. The symptoms of this condition may include sweating with crying or eating, persistent fast breathing, easy tiring, rapid heart rate, becoming tired easily when eating or playing, not gaining weight, becoming breathless when eating or crying and breathing rapidly, or being short of breath. The exact cause of PDA is not known. However, it is mainly seen in premature infants and in cases of German measles in mothers during pregnancy.

PDA can be diagnosed through physical examination, echocardiogram, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, and cardiac catheterization. Furthermore, treatment options for PDA are medications such as NSAIDs, medicines that block certain body chemicals that keep a PDA open, surgeries like catheters to close the hole, open heart surgery, lifestyle and home remedies such as stopping smoking, eating healthy, practising good hygiene, asking about sports restriction, and managing chronic stress (getting more exercise, practising mindfulness and support groups).

Similarities Between PFO and PDA

1. PFO and PDA are two conditions due to defects in the circulatory system.
2. Both are predominantly childhood conditions.
3. Both conditions may have overlapping symptoms such as difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, etc.
4. Both can be diagnosed through physical examination and echocardiogram.
5. They can be treated through specific medicines and surgeries.

Difference Between PFO and PDA

Definition

1. PFO is a small hole between the upper right and left chambers of the heart.
2. PDA is due to a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus that does not close as it should after birth.

Causes

1. PFO is caused by genetics, Down syndrome, and viral infection.
2. PDA is caused by genetic disorders and family history, German measles during pregnancy, and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

Symptoms

1. Symptoms of PFO include stroke, transient ischemic attack, heart attack, low blood oxygen level, and shortness of breath.
2. Symptoms of PDA include rapid breathing, dyspnea, sweating during feeding, feeding, and eating problems, poor weight gain, and fast pulse or rapid heart rate.

Diagnosis

1. PFO is diagnosed by physical examination, transthoracic echocardiogram, transesophageal echocardiogram, and transcranial Doppler ultrasound.
2. PDA is diagnosed by physical examination, chest X-ray, echocardiogram, and electrocardiogram.

Treatment

1. PFO is treated by medication (aspirin or warfarin), catheterization, and heart surgery.
2. PDA is treated by medications such as NSAIDs, medicines that may encourage patent ductus arteriosus closure, cardiac catheterization, and patent ductus arteriosus surgery.

The following table summarizes the difference between PFO and PDA.

Summary – PFO vs PDA

PFO and PDA are two congenital heart defects. In PFO, there is an abnormal opening in the dividing wall between the upper filling chambers of the heart. In PDA, there is a persistent opening between the two major blood vessels leading from the heart. This is the key difference between PFO and PDA.

FAQ: PFO and PDA

1. What are the signs and symptoms of PFO?

• Migraine or headaches, shortness of breath, blood clots, low oxygen level, increased chance of decompression illness, stroke, transient ischemic attack, heart attack, and vision loss are symptoms of PFO.

2. Does a PFO need to be fixed?

• Most PFOs do not need to be closed. Larger PFOs may cause stroke. People with symptomatic or large PFOs may benefit from a procedure to close the hole through specific surgeries.

3. What is the function of the ductus arteriosus?

• The ductus arteriosus is an arterial structure connecting the aorta and the main pulmonary artery. In the uterus, this allows blood flow from the pulmonary artery to bypass the nonfunctioning lungs to return to the placenta through the descending aorta. It normally closes within 72 hours of birth.

4. Why does PDA happen?

• PDA occurs because the normal fetal connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery does not close as it should soon after birth. It often occurs with premature birth.

5. What are the symptoms of PDA?

• The symptoms of the PDA may include fast or hard breathing, frequent respiratory infection, heart murmur, poor weight gain, and trouble feeding or tiredness while feeding.

Reference:

1. “Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO): Symptoms, Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA).” Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)” By HeartBabyHome (CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED) via Flickr

2. “Blausen 0707 PatentDuctusArteriosus” By Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical Gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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